War Memorial at Church of St Botolph, Barford

Summary

War memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St Botolph, Barford, by C Mailes and Son. Date of erection and dedication unknown.

Reasons for Designation

The war memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St Botolph, Barford, by C Mailes and Son, erected in the early C20 (exact date of erection and dedication unknown) is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community and the sacrifice it has made in the conflicts of the C20;

* Architectural interest: as a well-executed memorial which takes the form of a wheel cross;

* Group value: forming a strong group with the Church of St Botolph, Barford, Norfolk which is listed at Grade II*.

History

The concept of commemorating war dead did not develop to any great extent until towards the end of the C19. Prior to then memorials were rare and were mainly dedicated to individual officers, or sometimes regiments. The first large-scale erection of war memorials dedicated to the ordinary soldier followed the Second Boer War of 1899-1902, which was the first major war following reforms to the British Army which led to regiments being recruited from local communities and with volunteer soldiers. However, it was the aftermath of the First World War that was the great age of memorial building, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and the official policy of not repatriating the dead, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

The memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St Botolph, Barford, Norfolk, by sculptor C Mailes and Son, is one such example. The memorial was erected in honour of the nine men of Barford who lost their lives in the First World War. It was later inscribed with a dedication to one man who lost his life in the Second World War. In 2015 a grant of £680 was awarded by War Memorials Trust Grants Scheme, supported by First World War Memorials Programme, towards steam cleaning in order to improve the legibility of the inscription, and the re-pointing of construction joints with lime mortar. In addition, where needed, the lead letters were re-painted.

Details

War memorial in the churchyard of the Church of St Botolph, Barford, by C Mailes and Son. Early C20. Date of erection and dedication unknown.

MATERIALS: Grey Cornish Granite.

PLAN: square in plan.

DESCRIPTION: the memorial stands in the churchyard of the Church of St Botolph and comprises a rough-hewn Celtic wheeled cross on a large tapering square plinth with two bands of moulded decoration at its top. The First World War dedication is inscribed on the front face of the plinth in black lettering with the names of the nine men of Barford who lost their lives in this war listed below in two columns. The Second World War dedication is inscribed on the right face of the plinth.

The inscription on the front face of the plinth simply reads 1914-1919/ BARFORDS TRIBUTE OF GRATITUDE/ (NAMES). The inscription to the right is 1939-1945/ (NAME).

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 3 July 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/56431
War Memorials Online, accessed 3 July 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/194275

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